Resisting the temptation to belt out Pet Shop Boys whenever I hear "one [X] in Bangkok" has been strenuous. AND THE WORLD'S YOUR OYSTER! There, it's done, it's out.
Many people do Bangkok in 1-3 days, but I stayed for a whole week! Here's what I got up to:
Day 1: Exploring street food and markets in Siam Square
Having landed after 24 hours of travelling, food was of course the first thing on my mind! Cue a trip to the Siam Square Happy Street festival full of food and clothes!
Day 2: Jim Thompson House, Erawan Shrine, Wat Pathum Warnaram, my first Thai massage
I nearly didn't go to Jim Thompson House, and now I can't believe it was ever in question! Thompson was a colonialist who fell in love with Thailand and decided to stay and settle down in Bangkok. His investment in Thai silk reinvigorated the traditional skilled work and brought the trade back from the brink of disappearance. After he mysteriously disappeared in the mid 1900s, Thompson's house has been converted into an interactive museum of the silk trade, demonstrating how silk is extracted, dyed, and woven into amazing designs. The house itself is also brilliant to explore - Thompson loved the Thai style but couldn't let some things go! Whilst Thais traditionally eat sat on the floor, hence why shoes are not worn inside the house, Thompson could not forgo his dining table and so ordered 2 Chinese cards tables to be put together and for all the decorations of table mats and runners to be made from Thai silk. Similarly, Thai houses often have decorative outsides or undersides to their window sills - again, Thompson liked the idea but decided these should be enjoyed from the room, so had all the window sills turned inwards! More tweaks included indoor toilets, indoor stairs, and ceilings to disguise electrical wires whereas most traditional Thai houses would have open ceilings to the roofing.
With a tropical garden surrounding it, Jim Thompson House is now also an art gallery, currently exhibiting the Golden Droplet which is just spectacular. No photo can do it justice, but here's a taste:
The garden also hosts a turtle called Jim. We're friends.
The recent terrorist attack on Erawan Shrine has hardly impacted visitation to the shrine at all. Whilst some temples and shrines now have nominal bag checks, this Hindu shrine gets by with just a couple of policemen dotted around as people go about their worship and offering with flowers, incense, and prayers to a statue of Brahma. Whilst technically a Hindu shrine, visitors are a combination of Buddhists, Hindus, and tourists. It's a lovely place to get lost in a cloud of incense and forget that you are in the middle of a busy Thai intersection!
Wat Pathum Warnaram is just down the road from the Erawan Shrine and is a beautiful example of layered architecture, revealing an entirely new and sparkly perspective with every pace around it. Buffered by a pond between the road and the temple, the site manages to hold a sense of serenity within the crazy shopping district of Bangkok. The monks' quarters are separated from the main temple, but they regularly walk through the site and pray in the main temple. NB: it's expected that women especially should move out of the way of monks, and no one should ever try to touch a monk. In Buddhist temples the head is considered the most sacred part of the body, so no hair ruffling of kids, and the feet are considered the most offensive - always sit with your feet facing away from the Buddha!
Finished the day with a lush Thai foot massage, although it seems all Thai massages also involve a good back stretch, click, and pounding regardless of the part you initially went for! Having pounded the pavements all day this was the perfect unwind.
Day 3: Police drama in Wat Bowonniwet, Wat Chanasongkram, Patpong night market
Having moved from Siam Square to Khaosan area, I wanted to explore the immediate attractions. Wat Bowonniwet is a Royal Buddhist temple built by Rama III in the early 1900s, and features multiple golden prangs surrounding a gorgeous golden chedi which holds the relics and remains of the Thai Royal family. Interestingly, the temple also features numerous statues of Chinese characters as well as Hindu gods, which makes for a great wander around the site to see how they all blend in together. All was going so well, until a large number of suited and booted Thai police came rushing into the prayer hall looking incredibly serious! Just as I was ready to bolt out the door, the group did the fastest kneel-wai-bow-wai I've ever seen, before all turning their backs to the Buddha and taking group selfies! Totally surreal.
Wat Chanasongkram is a huge Buddhist complex directly opposite the end of Khaosan Road, creating a stark contrast between the fisherman pant selling, Chang chugging, and hair braiding scenes and the silent awe as people walk through the entrance to the sparkling Wat. Elephant tusks, fans and chandeliers surround an impressive golden Buddha.
Night markets tend to be cheaper as some stalls are set up directly on the streets, so the owners don't have to make a certain line in order to pay for the rent of the stall. Unfortunately, at this particular market, sellers were very aggressive and work on a "NO BUY NO TOUCH" policy which makes it tricky to decide whether that purse will fall apart as soon as you pick it up... These are, however, the places to go if you want "designer" handbags, underwear, watches, sunglasses, or belts In abundance. Despite being eaten alive by mosquitoes, this was such a great experience.
Day 4: Wat Phra Kaew and the Grand Palace, Wat Pho, Marble Temple
As arguably Bangkok's greatest cultural attraction, I prepared for Wat Phra Kaew and the Grand Palace as any good Brit would: lining up outside like a keen bean and getting my butt through the gates as soon as they opened. This combo is the most expensive of the admission fees at 500 baht for the day, but this does include entry to the Throne Hall at Dusit Palace on the day of purchase if you fancy it. Once inside, however, it was like falling down the rabbit hole: an incredible demonstration of wealth, architectural prowess, and more wealth lead to complete sensory overload! Trying to appreciate one feature was almost impossible due to the 5 other completely different but equally awesome (in the truest sense) features in my immediate eye line. Effectively Christmas with small children all trying to photobomb your ONE clean shot of the tree. Whilst you could well trot around this site within 2 hours, I'd suggest spending at least 4 hours to wander around as there is so much to absorb, and it's easy to get lost and assume you've done the lot! With secret buildings, hidden gardens, intricate gold leaf murals, incredible Buddha sculptures and a lot of sparkle, this double whammy is not one to be missed. Best to head to these back-to-back sites either early morning or over mealtimes to avoid the worst of the umbrella wielding bus tours of visors and elasticated slacks.
Wat Pho is my ultimate favourite Wat in Bangkok, and is well up there in my list of favourite places in the world. The peaceful serenity and surprisingly low footfall in this site makes it a wonderfully welcome contrast to it's neighbour, Wat Phra Kaew, and the architecture is just as splendid with slightly more consistency. I could have very happily spent an entire day mooching around here!
The Marble Temple is a great example of showing off. Marble is not sourced locally in Thailand, so to have an entire temple made out of multiple types demonstrates incredible wealth to be able to import so much and such variety. This temple also offers some divine 'secret courtyards', lined with golden images of the Buddha from various countries to demonstrate the differences in cultural interpretation of the Buddha. These are often overlooked by visitors, but each statue has its own plaque to describe the story behind the image, leading to some rather extraordinary examples...
Day 5: Wat Tramait, Chinatown, Wat Arun
Wat Tramait is a great temple in the heart of Chinatown, and directly opposite the Bangkok City Hospital - quite surreal to turn around from the huge golden Buddha and be staring directly at a CHD warning banner! I'd say this is definitely an add-on rather than a landmark of Bangkok, but it's cool nonetheless to see the Thai-Chinese design crossover.
Getting completely and utterly lost in Chinatown was a brilliantly crazy experience, walking between rows upon rows of dried squid to the left and Hello Kitty woks to the right! Definitely one to eat your way through, as the Thai-Chinese combos are quite different to the regular street food! Durian and Jack Fruit (which I have been very confidently calling Jug Fruit until today...) are on the must try list, regardless of what you think of them! Maybe have a pomegranate juice lined up though in case you need to bust the taste quickly.
The challenger for the top spot is definitely Wat Arun, the spectacular temple which has permanently and beautifully stamped the riverside skyline with Thonburi pride. Thonburi was the third capital of Thailand (between Ayutthaya and Bangkok) and Wat Arun encompasses this glory and awe perfectly. Yes, I'm fawning, but it's just amazing. Normally the steps right up to the top of the middle prang are open but, sadly, during my trip they were closed for repairs. The smaller prangs are totally climbable but beware the very steep steps! Perfect place to hit as the day cools off towards sunset, and make sure to run across the river in time to get the sunset postcard moment with a Chang in hand at one of the many bars by the ferry port.
Day 6: Thai cooking school
By this point I had well and truly fallen head over heels in love with Thai food. The colours, the smells, the tastes, the textures, the speed and skill required to make something so simple taste so extraordinary - I had to have a go myself! Read about my day here and have a look at the noms I made!
Day 7: Day trip to Ayutthaya
By this time I was itching to explore outside the city, and so the ancient capital Ayutthaya came calling my name. By that, I mean I recognised the name as somewhere nice and architectural and was desperate for somewhere with more air than exhaust! Just 1.5 hours by minivan out of the city and I was in architectural paradise - effectively a national testing ground for foreign and new architectural styles, including the prototype reclining Buddha which Wat Pho has made symbolic of Bangkok. Saturated in history and a beautifully scenic trip, Ayutthaya makes for a great day trip from the city. Here's the post!
Day 8: Escape from Bangkok, Koh Chang here I come!
Despite my love for the street stalls, architecture, and general exploration of Bangkok, even I felt the pull of the waves and planned my escape to Koh Chang for a week of sun, sand, and totally alien relaxation. Check back shortly for my updates from those sunny, sunny shores!
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